Coin controlled doorlock



Sept. 20, i932. G, L MCLAREN coIN coNTRoLLED DooRLocK Filed Sept. 18. 1930 a f my; f d

PatentedV Sept. 20, 1932 Unirse ,STATES PAT-'sitiv OFFICE v eniiiLnaivicLAR-EN; or BALLs'roN SPA, New YORKv G01N CONTROLLED DOYORLOCK i Application filed Septeniterp18,` 1930. Serial No.` 482,833.

like, tov which the individual public may be admitted without the 'necessity of the presence of an attendant-merely by depositing a coinv inthelocking mechanism to permit control. of such locking mechanism by the operator for the single instance of admission, the

lock usually automatically locking the oloor.

following the exit of the user and requiring a second coin to permit an unlocking operation.

Locksl of this type are generally constructed as similar to the conventional keyoperated lockTeXcept in the provision of coin controlled means forbolt following the insertion of a coin. Ordinarily independent from the coin controlled elements and the knob or handle by which the lock is operated following the release of the lock by the deposit of a coin is also anv independent element, to say nothing of the requirement of a coin receptacle to receive the coins after they have performed the lock-releasing function.

These various parts, which are independcnt one from the other and generally relatively spaced to a considerable extent, present a greater liability of the lock being tampered with or ofthe coin box being forced open, andv to the extent of their independence andA relative spacingi require the construetion andV assemblageof a comparatively largenumber of independent parts, which not only add tov the cost of the installation and production, but lend themselves more readily to tampering and unauthorized interference with the proper functioning of the parts.

The primary object of the present'invention, therefore, is the provision Hof a coin releasing the locking the locking bolt and' keeper are wholly controlled lock of lthis typeY in which a single casing element is 4employed for vthe reception of the coins, for the operation of the lock, for completely enclosing the locking elements proper, and tok serve las a coin boX forthe reception ofthe coins following theirfunction inthe release of the lock.

. A further object of the invention is they provision of a casing of thetype noted which shall' serve yto completely enclose the lock proper, all operating mechanism, and at the same time present a highly ornamental appearance, with entire avoidance of any obstructions of parts which may be tampered with, and so cooperate with the Vmechanism to be actuated that a lpartial turning movement of such casing is all that is required on the part of the operator followingjthe introduction of the coin.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a coin controlled locking mechanism arranged wholly within and concealed by the casing and serving to normally lock the casing against operative rotation, with such locking means releasedl by the introduction of a coin and with the lockingy bolt proper operable in the operative turningv of the casing-following the proper manipulation by the coin of the casing lock or limiting means. I

A further object of the present invention isv the arrangement of the keeper and lock'- ing bolt for holding the door locked in such relation to the casing that when the latter is in. lnormal position such locking 'bolt and keeper are entirely concealed and thus not accessible for possible tampering.

The invention is illustrated in the accom-` panying drawing, wherein Figure'l is a view in broken elevation showing the improved coin control-led lockingy means applied to a door.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 2--2 of Figure 4:.

Figur-e 3 is a plan view showing the locking bolt and keeper together with the means for selectively operating saidv bolt from the inner side of the-door at'will.

Figure' 4 is a vertical section through the locking means in assembled relation.

Figure 5 is a rear or inner elevation of the Casing.

Figure 6 is a broken plan partly in section, illustrating the relation of the keeper Jfor the locking bolt and the hand casing.

Figure 7 is a broken perspective view showing the relation of the locking element to the inner and outer plates.

Figure 8 is a broken perspectiveviewshowing the relation of the locking element to the keeper and to the casing.

The improved coin controlled lock is designed to be applied to a door 1 hinged at 2 to the usual door frame 3 to provide a means by which the door is normally locked except following the deposit of a coin which permits the door to be unlocked for the single operation and to be again locked when closed. Of course, in certain uses as, for example, in private toilets, it is desirable that the door shall automatically lock following its initial unlocking through the use of a coin in o-rder that the user may have the desired privacy, and that under these circumstances the door must be capable of being unlocked from Within at any desired time. Therefore, the door at a point immediately adjacent one upright oi the frame is provided with a spindle 4 rotatively mounted therein and provided on the inner side of the door with the usual knob or handle 5 by which the spindle may be turned.

0n the outer side of the door and concentric with the spindle is secured a hase plate 6 through which the spindle extends and in which it is 'freely rotatable.A Mounted on this plate 6 is a locking bolt 7 pivotally secured at 8 and havino' a nose or locking bolt extension 9 at a point below the pivot. A spring 10 secured to the plate 6 overlies and bears upon the locking bolt so as to normally hold the nose 9 projected or in locking relation. The locking bolt intermediate the pivot 8 and nose 9 presents what may be termed a camming edge 11, the curvature of which when the locking bolt is in operative or locking position is substantially coincident with the peripheral edge of the plate 6.

The spindle 4 is provided with a radial pin 12 serving wh-en the spindle is turned through the operation of the knob or handle 5 from the inner side of the door to rock the locking bolt on its pivot and Withdraw the nose or projection 9 from locking position. A keeper is carried by the frame 3 of the door comprising a plate 13 secured to the frame and extending above the upper surface thereot and being formed in such extended portion with an opening 14 with which the nose 9 may cooperate for locking the door.

rlhe characteristic feature of the present invention is the utilization of the hand casing, to be later described, as a means for completely enclosing this keeper and thereby the locking nose 9 when the parts are .in locked.

position. To permit of this result, the plate 6 is peripherally notched at 15 and such plate is so set with respect to the door that the notch of the plate fully receives the keeper so that the later, when the door is in locked position, does not project at any point beyond the peripheral edge of the plate 6.

Removably secured upon the plate 6 and in spaced relation thereto is a second plate 16. Secured to the plate 16 at the upper extremity of the vertical diameter is a plate section 17 approximately rectangular and appropriately held in spaced relation to the plate 16 to form a coin-receiving space 18 fully open at the top and bottom. Pivotally supported at 19 on the plate 16 is a locking lever 20. This locking lever is in the form of a bar pivotally mounted off center, with the shorter end 21 projectinginto the coin space 18 and having its terminal edge sharply inclined, as indicated at 22. The opposite or longer end 23 of the lever 2O terminates in a sharply inclined edge 24, and a spring strip 25 terminally secured, for example, to the plate section 17 and bearing beneath the locking lever tends to hold the latter in a predetermined position. This predetermined position of the locking lever is such that the free point or terminal of the portion 23 of the lever is substantially coincident with the peripheral edge of the plate 6, while the inclined edge 22 of the short end of the lever rests in the path of a coin passing into the coin space. n this position the lever will be engaged by any coin passed into the coin space, for a purpose which will be later explained.

It will be remembered that the lever 2O is pivotally supported by the plate 16, and as the terminal 24 of this lever is to have a locking function in connection with the hand cas- L ing to be later described, the plate 16 throughout a considerable margin of its peripheral edge on both sides of the free terminal of the lever 20 is cut away, as at 26,

in order that in the normal position of the l:

lever 2O the free terminal 24 may project beyond the edge of the plate 16 formed by this cut away portion. The peripheral margin of the plate 16 including and extending in most directions beyond the cam edge 11 of the locking bolt 7 is also cut away at 27, exposing such cam edge for operative control in the movement of the hand casing, as will later appear.

Secured upon the plate 16 coaxially with the spindle 4 is a sleeve 28 open at the outer end and formed with diametrically opposed notches 29. Arranged axially of this sleeve and forming a part thereof is a center post 3() or" less length than the sleeve and terminally threaded at 31.

The important detail of the present invention is what may be termed the hand casing, which is so constructed as to completely enclose all operating parts including the nose of the locking bolt and the keeper therefor, which serves as a means or handle for Voperating the locking bolt to disconnect itr from the keeper topermit opening of the door, which serves as a means for releasing the coi-n from the coin control mechanism following the unlocking function of the coin, and which serves as a coin boX for receiving andre-l taining the coins after the locking means. This hand casing, indicated at 3Q; and shown more particularly in Figure 4, is inthe form of a hollow body including a peripheral wall 33' and enclosed top 34 of appropriate ornamental configuration, if desired, and fully open at the bottom or inner end. The internal diameter of the peripheral wall 33 of the hand casing corresponds approximately to the diameter of the plate 6 so-that in applied position the periphp eral edge of the plate 6 is seated within the hand casing and the latter is in effect guided on the peripheral edge oi? the plate 6.

T he upper portion of the wall 33 atan appropriate point is oiiset at 35 andiormed in such olset with a slot 36 serving the function of a coin slot for the introduction of a coin and designed, when the hand casing is in normal or inoperative position, to be in vertical registry with the coin-receiving space 18 formed by the plate 16 and plate section 17,

as previously described. The normal position of the hand casing is insured through the medium of acoil spring 37, one terminal of which is secured to the plate 16 and the f otherterminal of which is removably engaged with a pin 33 projecting` from the inner surface of the wall 33. The removable connection of the spring permits the convenient detachment of the hand casing when neces* sary to inspect, repair or renew th-e locking parts. Y

Projecting from the inner surface of the wall 33- in that portion substantially in the plane of the peripheral edge of the plate 161 Y is a locking lug 39, and arranged immediately adjacent thisy lug and outwardly therefrom with respect to the plate 16 is a. release lug 40 terminating in an inwardly inclined lip 41 which is arranged beyond the terminal of the lug 39 in the direction of rotation of the hand casing.. Also projecting inwardly from the wall 33 of the handcasing about centrally of the coin slot 36 is a locking bolt actuator in the form of a lug 42. This lug l is so arranged with respect to the wall of the hand casing that its path of movement is in the plane of the cam edge 11 of the locking bolt, the radial extension of the lug being such as to rock the locking bolt when such lug rides over the cam edge 11 to thereby swing the locking bolt in a direction to withdraw the nose 9 from the keeper opening 14.

The hand casing is secured to the plate 16- throu-gh the medium of a locking sleeve 43 having an exterior diameter tolit within the their cooperation withv 47 forming the outer end of the sleeve 43. and overlying the top 34 of the hand casing 321to conceal the opening through which the locking sleeve 43 is introduced.y The arrangement of the tumblers 44 is unimportant and needs no further description or showing beyond the fact that they are arrangeclso that on inward movement of the key the tumblers are withdrawn to the peripheral plane of the locking sleeve 43 so that the locking sleeve 43 is free to turn in the slee-ve 28 until the threaded cooperation of such sleeve 43 and ost 30 is such as to arrange the hand casi-ng substantially against the surface of the door surrounding the peripheral edge ofthe plate 6 with the disk 47 overlying and bearing upon the top of the hand casing.

On the removal of the key, the tun-iblers 44 act under appropriate spring pressure to move outwardly into the recesses 29 in the sleeve 28 secured to the plate 16. Thus the hand casing is mounted for free rota-ry movement with respect to the plates 6 and 16 but held against independent axial movement with respect thereto.

In the normal position of the parts., that is, with the coin sloty 36 in the hand casing in alignment with the coin-receiving space 18, the locking lug 39 is inthe plane oi' the projecting end 24 of the lockingxlever 20' so that while a limited movement of the hand casing is permitted, this movement is insuiicient to carry the locking bolt actuator 42 to a position to engage the cam edge 11 of the locking bolt. Onthe introduction of an appropriate coin, indicated at 48 in Figure 2, through the coin slot 36 inthe hand casing and into the coin space 18 between the plate 16 and plate section 17, the;

coin by riding into contact with the inclined end 22 of the loc-king lever 20 rocks this inclined end upwardly andoutwardly, thus withdrawing the terminal 24 from the path oi' movement of the locking lug 39. The

hand casing may now be 'turned until the.

the locking bolt actuator 42' reaches the camz bolt 7, the inclined edge 11 of the locking extension 41 of the releaselug 40 wipes'- over the end of the locking lever 20 and moves lll theV lever somewhat farther or to a greater eXtent than and in the same direction as such lever is moved on the introduction of a coin. Thecoin, which has been momentarily retained in position by the bearing against such coin of the end 22 of the locking lever, is thus free of the holding influence of the locking lever such coin drops freely through the coin space 18 andinto the lower portion of the hand casing.

On the return of the parts to normal position which is a result of the operation of the spring 37, the lugs 39 and 40 are arranger below the free terminal of the locking lever in a direction beyond the coin slot and the klocking lever has been returned to normal or locking position which it normally maintains in the absence of a coin. rl`he hand casing is thus locked against that rotative movement necessary to operate the locking bolt and the parts are arranged for a subsequent operation. Of course, the locking bolt is free to move to and from locking position against the tension of the spring 10 so that as the door is closed the locking bolt accommodates itself to the movement and re-locks the door by entering the keeper. The locl ing nose 9 is appropriately beveled to permit its displacement when cooperating with the keeper plate 13 in the closing of the door. The door may be unlatched or unlocked from the inner side through manipulation of the knob or handle 5 at any time.

The important characteristic feature of the present invention is the single hand casing serving as a knob for opening and closing the door, serving as a means to receive and temporarily retain the coin, serving as a means to operate the locking bolt following the release of the locking mechanism by the coin, serving as a means to eflectually conceal all operating parts including the lock, locking bolt and keeper, and serving further as a means for retaining the coins after their function in releasing the locking mechanism for the hand casing. Thus the single hand casing performs the several functions usually performed by separate and wholly independent parts in pervious coin controlled locks, and aside from presenting a very much more ornamental and desirable appearanceJ provides in a single element the operative and protective functions, rendering the lock fool-proof, practically incapable of being tampered with, and protecting the deposited coins against unlawful abstraction.` The mechanism of the lock for the deposited coins is accessible at any time through the use of an appropriate key serving to withdraw the tumblers 44 and permit disconnection of the sleeve 43 and post 30, whereupon the casing may be freely and entirely removed subject to the disconnection of the spring 37 from the hook 38.

It is to be particularly understood that while the coin controlled locking means herein described defines a simple and desirable construction for use in connection with the hand casing, the invention contemplates the use of any preferred or appropriate type or' coin controlled mechanism constructed and arranged to permit the desired operation oT the hand casing.

l claim 1. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a door locking element, a hand casing mounted for rotation, means carried by the casing to operate said element, and coin controlled means for normally preventing such rotative movement of the hand casing, said casing serving as a coin receptacle for the reception of the coins following their cooperation with the coin controlled locking means.

2. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element for the door, a hand casing mounted for rotation, means carried by the casing and Operative in such rotation to operate the locking element, coin controlled locking means normally preventing rotation of the hand casing to a degree necessary to operate the locking element, said hand casing overlying and protecting the locking element against tampering.

3. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element for the door, a hand casing mounted for rotary movement with respect to the door, means carried by the casing and operative in su-ch casing movement to cooperate with the locking element, a locking lug on the hand casing, a member normally in the path of the lug to prevent rotative movement of the casing, said member being displaceable on the introduction of a coin beyond the path of the lug to permit that rotative movement of the casing necessary to influence the locking element.

4. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element for the door, a hand casing mounted for rotary movement with respect to the door, means carried by the casing and operative in such casing movement to cooperate with the locking element, a locking lug on the hand casing, a member normally in the path of the lug to prevent rotative movementof the casing, said member being displaceable on the introduction of a coin beyond the path of the lug to permit that rotative movement of the casing necessary to influence the locking element, said member when displaced by the coin serving to retain the coin in the then position, and means carried by the casing to further operate the member to release the coin.

5. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element for the door, a hand casing mounted for rotary movement with respect to the door, means carried by the casing and operative in such casing movement to cooperate with the locking element, a locking lug on the hand Casing7 a member normally in the path of the lug to prevent rotative movement of the casing, said member being displaceable on the introduction of 'a coin beyond the path of the lug to permit that rotative movement of the casing necessary to influence the locking element, said member when displaced by the coin serving to retain the coin in the then position, and means carried by the casing to further operate the member to release the coin, said casing being at all times in position to receive and retain the coin following release of the coin.

6. A coin controlled lock including a locking element, a hand casing rotative with respect to the element, means on the interior of the casing to `engage and operate the element in the rotative movement of the casing, a locking lug on the casing, and coin controlled means for normally cooperating with the lug to prevent rotative movement of the casing, said means being displaceable by a coin to avoid interference with the lug whereby to permit rotative movement of the casing to operate the locking element.

7. A coin controlled lock including a locking element, a hand casing rotative with respect to the element, means on the interior of the Casing to engage and operate the element in the rotative movement of the casing, a locking lug on the casing, and coin controlled means for normally cooperating with the lug to prevent rotative movement of the casing, said means being displaceable by a coin to avoid interference with the lug whereby to permit rotative movement of the casing to operate the locking element, the casing being positioned to overlie and conceal said coin control means and locking element.

8. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element mounted on the door, a keeper for the locking element mounted on the part with which the door cooperates, a hand casing mounted for movement with respect to the door and operative to engage and operate the locking element to withdraw it from the keeper, and coin controlled means for governing the movement of the hand casing, said hand casing enclosing and concealing the coin controlled locking A means, the locking element and the keeper.

9. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element mounted in the door, a hand casing rotative with respect to the door, means carried by the casing to engage and operate the locking element, coin controlled means arranged within the casing to normally prevent operative movement of the casing, said coin controlled means serving in the presence of a coin to retain the coin during the initial movement of the hand casing, and means on the hand casing to influence the coin controlled means to release the coin, said casing serving as a coin receptacle for the released coins.

10. A coin controlled lock for doors and the like including a locking element mounted in the door, a hand Casing rotative with respect to the door, means carried by the casing to engage and operate the locking element, coin controlled means arranged within the casing to normally prevent operative movement of the casing, said coin controlled means serving in the presence of a coin to retain the coin during the initial movement of the hand casing, means on the hand casing to influence the coin controlled means to release the coin, said casing serving as a coin receptacle for the released coins, and means whereby the casing is automatically returned to normal position when released and following the operation of Y the locking element.

11. A coin controlled locking means for doors and the like including locking elements to hold the door fixed with respect to the member with kwhich it cooperates, coin controlled means, and a casing mounted for rotary movement with respect to the door and normally held against movement by the coin controlled means, said casing when released by the coin controlled locking means serving to operate the locking elements to release the door, said casing serving as a hand hold for operating the door and as a concealing means for the coin controlled means and locking elements.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

GERALD J. MGLAREN. 

